Recent, disparate terrorist attacks have shown that far from being “degraded and destroyed,” the Islamic State’s reach is growing. Unwilling to commit large numbers of U.S. boots on the ground, policymakers have instead doubled down on a “small footprint” approach of military aid to foreign governments. But this strategy is failing.

Contrary to what one might expect, U.S. military aid doesn’t produce willing, cooperative, or effective security partners. Instead, it incentivizes bad behavior and drives the sources of terrorism: corruption, violence, and poor governance. Unwittingly, this policy is creating its own enemies.

The logic of military aid — or security assistance, as it is euphemistically referred to — is twofold: U.S. military equipment, training, and support will build strategic relationships with partner nations and then empower them to fight terrorists on our behalf.

This thinking has led to explosive growth of military aid since 2001. According to the Security Assistance Monitor, the United States is poised to spend almost $20 billion on foreign military assistance in 2016 alone, through programs scattered between the State Department and the Pentagon.

In practice, this logic is severely flawed. Rather than creating cooperative partners, research shows that military aid produces reverse leverage: The more aid given to a recipient country, the less likely it is to do what we want. For example, Pakistan receives $1.6 billion in U.S. military aid every year, but the Pakistani government still supports extremist groups in Afghanistan and has deep ties to the Haqqani terrorist network.

Limitless and beyond the view of the public, U.S. military aid is a tap foreign governments don’t want to turn off. The longer they’re “fighting terrorists,” the more “security assistance” they get. There’s no reason for them to actually defeat terrorists, because if they did, the cash would go away. Instead, foreign security partners are incentivized to maintain a form everlasting instability, wherein nobody wins and everybody loses.

The perverse irony is that this type of behavior — underwritten and enabled by the United States — is perpetuating terrorism. Research has shown that nothing recruits terrorists like corrupt security forces committing human rights abuses with impunity.

Kenya illustrates this dynamic well. After the horrific attack at the Westgate Mall in 2013, Kenya responded with aggressive policing tactics, arresting and mistreating thousands of Kenyan Somalis and Muslims. That brutal response, however, helped al-Shabaab by inciting anger across the country.

After last month’s attack in Paris, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle called for a more aggressive strategy to counter terrorism. Days later, the State Department finalized a $1.29 billion sale of targeted bombs to Saudi Arabia. It’s hard not to note the irony: How exactly would extending the coercive arm of oppressive states like Saudi Arabia improve counterterrorism efforts?

After 15 years of letting the military take the lead in fighting terrorism, policymakers need to accept that political problems demand political and diplomatic solutions, which are seldom found on the path of least resistance. But the tools needed — robust diplomacy, accountability mechanisms, democracy support — are starved of funding.

As U.S. military assistance grows every year, support for democracy shrinks. During Obama’s tenure in office, democracy assistance funding has declined by almost 30 percent. And while the Pentagon is slated to receive over $600 billion in funding, the State Department and foreign aid account will be lucky to get $50 billion.

By relying on military aid, the United States is fostering a world of endless war and insecurity. For the United States’ so-called security partners, that’s good for business.

Jeremy Ravinsky is a program assistant at the Open Society Foundations, working on issues relating to security assistance and human rights.

Why would they want to end violence? You can’t make money off the military industrial complex if we aren’t murdering brown people!

Chandra Pakala

sCommerce @ s&m&eCommerce Discussion Only between the author of the article at research and the users ( @ Ex : Crenando ) :

Simple @ Absolute Origins of Infinity to the Finite Earth : Lands @ Laws : Absolutely no forgiveness to none individuals systems @ no one is above the infinity laws but simply not only the finite laws ( @ Most know it was and is prejudiced systems @ Fairness & Justice et all systems ) .

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Why would they need armies of the nations in the first place whether it is Americas or Britains or Chinas or Russias or Indias or ISIS ….N @ did armies ever created any land of the laws on the earth first to have powers controls & wealths over it ? No right @ obvious simple basic common sense concept of Earth : Laws : Ask all of these Armies of Peoples of Governance to create first an iota of land have armies over it to have powers controls wealths over it @ finite earth system to the infinity ” earth ” systems simple .

Murdering Concept Systems : Then all these were and are Murders Inc Systems @ see no difference between the gang wars, I see , hear or read in the local coms and socs systems to the Armies @ Murderers Inc Systems :

deliaruhe

“In practice, this logic is severely flawed.”

Maybe that’s not the logic operating here. To wit, more than ever, what’s good for Boeing, Northrup-Grumman, Raytheon, and Lockheed-Martin is good for America in that providing funding to foreign militaries for the purchase of arms from these self-styled patriotic American corporations is what’s keeping the US economy from tanking. That, and increasing the long super-bloated US military and surveillance budget every year.

In other words, “a world of endless war and insecurity” is precisely what Washington needs — at least, until China agrees to be Evil Empire II and return America to the good old days of the Cold War.

That’s currently the logic of imperial survival.

Chandra Pakala

sCommerce @ mCommerce Discussion Only between the author of the article at research and the users :

If U as an individual fund a terrorist u were and are one . If u elect an individual who is funding a terrorist u were and are one : Peoples @ Individual need no proof nor do I or you or the person who wrote the article systems : Jeremy Ravinsky or the peoples @ individuals who funded @ tax payers monies terrorists or coached them weapons business or gave them weapons @ violators of the International Laws of Weapons & Wars Business First let’s not think about American Laws @ Made only for the Americans of certain peoples in the respective coms and socs systems @ EX : White Peoples or Black Peoples or Brown Peoples or Islamic Peoples @ Certain Community & Society Systems @ but certainly not equal et all systems :

As simple definition of it @ Americans will be responsible and accountable @ International Laws ( @ EX :http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/international_law_and_the_laws_of_war ) of it who cares about the American Land of the Laws as this not the only nation on the planet earth @ life business systems for the global peoples @ your own american peoples @ individuals were and are breaking it in the first place life systems @ livlihood ( @ EX : SIMPLE FORMULA @ BASIC COMMON SENSE INVESTING SYSTEMS @ LIFE BUSINESS SYSTEMS @ LIVLIHOOD : TAX PAYERS MONIES == TAX PAYERS MONIES = ! TERRORISTS MONIES @ EX : Current Running USA President : Hillary Clinton herself accepting doing so @ Actions : A but simply not of words @ W @ EX : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJLR1LhxiN0 ) .

To be fair to the simple common tax payers peoples @ life business @ livlihood systems :

They all should and must have been locked up arrested prosecuted & convicted of terrorism @ bigger crime & criminal charges first prior the terrorists ( @ They only made them in the first place at life business systems @ livlihood : for ex : Saddam to Bin Laden ….ISIS or Syria …..N ).

Land of the LAws @ No one is above it ( EX : Bill Clinton’s Impeachment Systems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQY4MzBIIoA) : Why only Former President : Bill Clinton why not George W : Word : Walker Walking All over simple common tax payers monies investing in the wars without there permissions first @ War Bush, Barack H Obama who is currently funding tax payers monies @ syrian terrorists instead of funding simple common tax payers life business systems of livlihood @ n dip recession economy markets @ peoples :. Why would I need to invest my hardened cent without my permission to these kinds of peoples at the expense of my own life business systems @ livlihood systems ( @ EX : HOME FOOD HEALTHCARE , OPPORTUNITIES …..N Systems ). No one gave me free money in my life like there own predecessors who came up in there own life business systems of hard work @ individual independent systems of Americas @ namely : Bill Clinton or George Sr. Bush or Barack H Obama itself.

If no one is above the land of the laws even the American Presidents Governors Senators Mayors & Peoples should and must get locked up arrested prosecuted and convicted of bigger crime @ criminals of my research systems @ diversity { Not my major : Technology Major @ mY life business systems @ livlihood systems @ I hardly need to care of it except learning and knowing about mY Hardened Cent @ Investments Systems : living among the local & global coms and socs systems of doing things which they know it it can be threat to millions billions of peoples life systems @ livlihood systems ( @ EX : Home Food Health Care, Opportunities …..N Systems ) as they know it what happened doing so of actions @ A of the previous civilizations of peoples @ individuals ( @ EX : Saddam , Osama Bin Laden , ISIS or SYRIA For that matter ). By knowing @ knowledge systems of TAXES, WEAPONS & WARS doing it with simple english alphabet : A for Actions B for Bitching C for Cheating @ Cheapestic D for Dumbestic ….M for Mentally R for Retarded …..S for Sickestic …..Finite Alphabets of English of Z : Zeroistic to the Infinity English Alphabets Innovative Systems Simple .

Cannonfodder2010

As demonstrated in Syria and Iraq, the intent is not to foster stable governance in the region, but to create chaos under which the resources of the region (primarily oil) are exploited by desperate groups to the benefit of multi-national corporations.

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we ever need to kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we evall those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we ever need to kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in casr need to kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns io kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we ever need to kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case to kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plwe kill all those

Almajsapp4

See also the rabid need to have plenty of guns in case we kill all those

Chandra V PAKALA

sCommerce @ mCommerce Discussion Only between the author of the article at research and the users :.

Why to do the mentally retarded I’ll sick business @ expense of the tax payers life business of Livlihood ( For Ex : Home Food Health Care Opportunities ……N ) systems ?

If they all were & are terrorists ( for ex : global peoples know about it @ need no evidence systems ), by name so do you all the peoples ( who elected the leaders ) & leaders ( who were & are funding terrorists @ spreading more in the globe ) who created them in the first place systems.